Hundreds of Students Defend Military Funeral Against the Westboro Baptist Church

When the Westboro Baptist Church announced their intention to target the funeral of Texas A&M alum Lt. Col. Roy Tisdale, his fellow Aggies didn’t take it sitting down.

In fact, with a little help of Facebook, more than 500 students at Texas A&M showed up at the burial in College Park, Texas. Together they formed a giant human wall decked out in the school color of maroon, protecting those mourning Tisdale from any potential protesters.

It was the idea of former Texas A&M student Ryan Slezia.

“In response to their signs of hate, we will wear maroon. In response to their mob anger, we will form a line, arm in arm. This is a silent vigil. A manifestation of our solidarity,” Slezia wrote his Facebook page.

Standing silently, and with their backs turned to Tisdale’s family and friends to respect their privacy, the group was ready for a confrontation with any Westboro Baptist Church members, who regularly protest military funerals due to their belief that “God punishes soldiers because of America’s tolerance of gays.”

But apparently the religious fanatics got wind of the giant human wall and decided not to show up, allowing Tisadale to be buried with the dignity he was owed and deserved. See more photos of the maroon wall below.